MONTREAL, November 17 – He knocked out Jon Fitch in 12 seconds, did the same thing to Amir Sadollah in 29 ticks of the clock, and Saturday night at the Bell Centre, Johny Hendricks made his case for a shot at the welterweight title in similarly devastating fashion, as he knocked out Martin Kampmann in just 46 seconds in the UFC 154 co-main event.

“Martin Kampmann is a tough dude,” said Hendricks, now 14-1. “I knew I had to go out there and prove that I was the number one contender. Please, give me a shot at that title.”

There’s really no one else in line for the next shot at the 170-pound crown after that performance.

Coming out fast, Hendricks started his offense with three left hooks as he chased after Kampmann, but none hit home. That changed seconds later, as he threw a right hand that set the Denmark native up for a left that put him flat on his back. A follow-up shot was just window dressing, as referee Dan Miragliotta stopped the fight at the 46 second mark.

Kampmann, who saw a three fight winning streak snapped, falls to 20-6. It was his first knockout defeat since a loss to Paul Daley in September of 2009.

LAWLOR vs. CARMONT

Despite apparent evidence to the contrary, Montreal middleweight Francis Carmont extended his winning streak to nine (four straight in the UFC) with a three round split decision victory over Tom Lawlor.

Scores were 29-28 twice, and 28-29 for Carmont.

A good amount of the early scoring in a slow first round was done by Carmont, who landed with some hard kicks to the body while also escaping Lawlor’s takedown attempts. The New Englander did almost end things in the final minute though, as Carmont went in recklessly for a takedown attempt, getting caught in a guillotine choke attempt that he eventually got loose from.

After another interminable delay in significant action, Lawlor (8-5, 1 NC) finally got his takedown three minutes into round two, and while Carmont got up fairly quickly, Lawlor put him back down just as fast, and with under a minute to go, he locked up another guillotine attempt that Carmont again escaped.

With Carmont (20-7) able to avoid the takedown in round three, he was able to score with the occasional strike or two, but Lawlor still kept him locked up against the fence for most of the round, drawing a sustained chorus of boos that lasted until the fight mercifully ended.

DOS ANJOS vs. BOCEK

Brazil’s Rafael dos Anjos won his third straight in lightweight action, clearly outpointing game Ontario native Mark Bocek over three rounds.

The unanimous decision read 30-27 across the board for dos Anjos, now 18-6; Bocek falls to 11-5.

Dos Anjos and Bocek kept a fast pace throughout the first round, Bocek trying to get the bout to the mat and dos Anjos trying to keep it standing. The Brazilian’s solid defense kept him upright, and his speed allowed him to get a hard variety of strikes in, but Bocek remained resolute in his attempts to turn the fight in his favor.

After a brief break early in round two following a low kick from Bocek, the bout strayed to the mat, with dos Anjos working for the arm of his fellow jiu-jitsu black belt. Bocek fought loose, but dos Anjos remained in control against the fence. When the two rose just after the midway point of the round, Bocek emerged with a battered face from dos Anjos’ attack, and the bout then went back to the mat again, with the Brazilian remaining in complete control, both there and on the feet, until the bell.

The two combatants stayed locked up to a stalemate for much of the final round, with a restart in the final minute by referee Yves Lavigne prompting a late standup surge from dos Anjos that capped his three round win.

Former world title challenger Mark Hominick suffered his fourth consecutive defeat in featherweight action, ending up on the wrong side of a unanimous decision earned by rising star Pablo Garza.

Scores in the main card opener were 29-27, 30-26, and 29-28 for Garza, who ups his record to 13-3; Ontario’s Hominick falls to 20-12.

The fighters wasted no time getting acquainted, Hominick racing across the Octagon at the bell and Garza eagerly throwing back punches and kicks at his veteran foe. Garza mixed things up nicely offensively, keeping Hominick at bay with hard shots upstairs and down. When “The Machine” did get close, he was able to be effective, rocking his opponent with a right hand at the midway point of the round. Hominick followed with a throw to the mat, and then was able to get out of an armbar attempt before rising to his feet. With less than a minute left, Hominick dropped Garza with a body punch, but just when it looked like the end was near, Garza got up firing, opening a cut under Hominick’s left eye.

Looking to attack the body again, Hominick stalked Garza to start round two, but “The Scarecrow” responded with a takedown. Hominick stayed busy from the bottom position, but Garza made sure to get in his share of shots to keep his dominant position intact, and he remained in control throughout the round, punishing the veteran contender every step of the way.

Now bruised up under both eyes, Hominick didn’t stray from his aggressive standup stance as the third opened, but Garza was able to adjust and put him on his back again. Hominick did get to his feet momentarily with just over a minute left, but Garza was swarming, and he got the fight to the mat again. Hominick made a last ditch effort to get an armbar, but it was to no avail, as Garza escaped and wrapped up the biggest win of his pro career.

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